As previously announced, the festival Shared Sounds at Berlin’s Radial System V (June 12-15) features a strong line-up of musicians associated with ECM. In addition to their concerts, several of the musicians are giving workshops:

Carolin Widmann
Aspects of contemporary music interpretation.

Carolin Widmann, professor for violin in Leipzig since 2006, seeks to combine the romantic violin repertoire with contemporary compositions. In her workshop, she focuses on expression and meaning in contemporary music, addressing the question of communication. All string players, soloists and ensembles, are welcome to participate.
(June 13, 2 – 4 pm)

Garth Knox
Early and contemporary music for string players

Celebrated as one of the most outstanding contemporary violists through his association with the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the Arditti Quartet, Garth Knox has turned his attention to the viola d’amore in recent years. In Knox’s hands this almost-forgotten baroque instrument takes on a new life as he applies it to music from 1600 to the present day. In his workshop, he will present a brief overview of contemporary viola repertoire (Ligeti, Berio, Xenakis, Sciarrino, Kurtag, etc) and will demonstrate and discuss some contemporary string techniques. He will also address the viola d’amore, its historical repertoire and its possibilities for new music. (June 14, 12 – 2 pm)

Anna Maria Friman (Trio Mediæval)
Communication in ensemble singing

The Swedish soprano Anna Maria Friman has taught master classes and workshops for singers, vocal-ensembles and choirs for many years in Europe and the USA. Her workshop is suited for individual singers or existing vocal ensembles wishing to explore and exchange ideas about ensemble singing. The main focus willbe communication and interaction between the singers in a group as well as communication with the audience. The participants should prepare a few pieces for the workshop, in any genre they
wish. (June 15, 12 – 2 pm)

Savina Yannatou
Vocal improvisation

Savina Yannatou’s musical history has covered many bases – from renaissance music to collaboration with contemporary composer Manos Hadjidakis. In the early 90s, she began experimenting with free improvisation. Since 1993 Yannatou has performed with Primavera en Salonico, the collective of Thessaloniki-based musicians.
Savina Yannatou has also composed music for theatre, video art and dance. The focus of her workshop is vocal improvisation. It is suitable for anyone who wants to obtain more freeedom in vocal expression. Love of music is more important than musical skill for this workshop. (June 13 and 14, 2 – 4 pm)

From Nietzsche’s “Geburt der Tragödie” we know about the importance of the choir in Greek drama, but little about how those choirs actually sounded. Kostas Vomvolos is a founding member of Primavera en Salonico and a renowned specialist in the reconstruction of the music of ancient Greek drama. Kostas’ workshop is not only for musicians, but also dancers, actors, performers, scientists and interested laypersons. Various rhythmical and melodical aspects of Greek drama will be explored. The aim is to create complex structures through group improvisation using simple motifs as a starting point. (June 13 and 14, 12 – 2 pm)

Björn Meyer
World Music – tradition as inspiration for improvisation

Bassist Björn Meyer has worked for many years on music that he calls ‘Tripfolk’.. Diverse musical traditions and atmospheres are combined by means of composition and improvisation to create something new. His workshop deals with folk music traditions from different cultures as inspiration for contemporary improvisation and composition. The first part will focus on the structure of rhythms, the use of scales and means of instrumentation and techniques. In the second part the knowledge about these structures shall be integrated in composition and improvisation. The workshop is open to all kinds of instrumentalists. (June 15, 11 am – 1 pm)

Nik Bärtsch
Groove organisms

Nik Bärtsch’s “Ritual Groove Music” is influenced by jazz, minimal music and funk as well as Eastern philosophy. Bärtsch himself describes it as follows: “The music is formed by the love for the structured space, for ideas of repetition and reduction and for interlocking rhythms. By means of obsessive torques, layers of different metres and micro-interplay, the music moves on and changes its conditions.” Nik Bärtsch will work on groove-structures and phrasing. The relation between the individual musician and the ensemble will be examined in the workshop as well as aspects of collective playing.
Participants are welcome to bring their own compositions. The workshop is open to instrumentalists of any kind. (June 14, 2 – 4 pm)

The full schedule of the Share Sounds festival - concerts, workshops and also talks and panel discussions - can be found at: www.sharedsounds.de